Career Colleges and Vocational Schools in Alaska

Trade Schools in Alaska

Trade schools in Alaska can be viable options for career training, and many of the skilled trades available could bring you a rewarding career with upward mobility and better pay. For example, the medical field is growing and requires training that you could find at trade schools in Alaska. The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration reports the following median annual salaries for these health care careers in Alaska for 2009:

Surgical technologists: $46,000

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses: $46,400, with the field projected to grow by 190 workers between 2008 and 2018

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics: $45,300

More reasons to choose trade schools in Alaska

The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the adjusted unemployment rate in Alaska was about 8 percent as of December 2010. The U.S. Census Bureau shows that Alaska's average median home price between 2007 and 2009 was $221,300, which is higher than the national average; however, the career skills gained at trade schools in Alaska could make you competitive and help you with housing costs.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development gives the following snapshot of employment in the state: The estimated population for 2009 was 692,314. Trade, transportation and utilities was the top industry in 2009, with 21 percent of the state's workers. More Alaskans worked as retail salespersons than in any other occupation. The salaries are one more reason to study in Alaska; 27 percent of the 302,103 resident workers in Alaska earned more than $50,000 in 2009. Alaskans enjoyed a 2009 per capita income of $43,200, ninth in the nation, as reported by CareerOneStop.